Rank outsiders Germany earned their first-ever Olympic women’s field hockey gold medal defeating favorites the Netherlands 2-1 in the final here yesterday. World champions Argentina took the bronze with a 1-0 win over China in the playoff for third place.
Germany, whose previous best Olympic finish was a silver at the Barcelona Games in 1992, stunned the current European champions and World Cup runners-up by leading 2-0 at half-time.
Anke Kuehn shot in Germany’s first penalty corner in the sixth minute, before Franziska Gude broke from a goalmouth melee to beat Dutch goalkeeper Clarinda Sinnige with a reverse hit in the 20th.
The Dutch raided the rival defense for the rest of the first-half but failed to convert the three penalty corners which came their way.
The Netherlands finally opened their account with a penalty corner three minutes into the second session when Maartje Scheepstra deflected in a shot from captain Mijntje Donners.
German goalkeeper Louisa Walter, who was her team’s hero with two saves in the semifinal penalty shootout against China on Tuesday, once again stole the limelight by thwarting the Dutch in the closing minutes.
The Dutch, looking for their first gold since the Los Angeles Games 20 years ago, had to be content with the silver. They won a bronze at Sydney four years ago.
The Germans, who finished seventh both at Sydney and the World Cup, handed the Dutch their first defeat of the competition and avenged the 4-1 loss in the preliminary league.
